


Always Next To You

by lazyAlien



Series: Always Next To You [1]
Category: LazyTown
Genre: Alternate Universe, Fluff, Insomnia, M/M, Robbie isn't actually that depressed, SportaDad, and Stephanie sees it all, but Sport is very sporty, nothing but fluff, the usual stuff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-07
Updated: 2020-06-20
Packaged: 2021-03-03 23:22:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 16,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24593725
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lazyAlien/pseuds/lazyAlien
Summary: Robbie is cold, tired, a little lonely and just wants to eat his croissants in peace. But there's that cute jogger who keeps greeting him every morning.Inspired by headcanon and fanart by curax on Tumblr.I changed it up a little.I just couldn't hold myself back.This is the first fic that I'm posting on AO3. I hope you like it.(Sorry for any language mistakes. English is not my first language.)
Relationships: Robbie Rotten & Sportacus, Robbie Rotten/Sportacus
Series: Always Next To You [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1795360
Comments: 47
Kudos: 93





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> [I am currently editing the whole fic because I really don't like it because I wrote in in like a week. So some things might change a little?? Nothing fundamental though]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The first chapter is mostly Robbie, insomnia, a bike and croissants.

" _Don't open your eyes. Don't open your eyes, don't open your eyes!_ "

Robbie opened his eyes.

" _Damn._ ", he whispered to himself as absolutely nothing at all flooded his vision. The room around him was pitch black. In the evening, Robbie had frantically covered any source of light within his bedroom. It had worked well to fall asleep. His bedsheets had felt soft and warm, and the black void had let him fall asleep easily.

But now, all the effort he had put into taping every little light in his room so that it wouldn't disturb him in his sleep, had paid out for nothing. Robbie was awake. And he was certain that there was no chance of falling back asleep tonight.

He sighed and turned his head towards his digital alarm clock. With an unpleasant sound, he ripped off the black tape from the display which now told him, what he could have already guessed. It was still the middle of the night. It had hardly been five hours since he went to bed.

Robbie let out another sigh, put the alarm clock back on the bedside table and stared at the black wall in front of him. He just stared for a couple of seconds before he lifted his hands to rub his eyes. Ever since he could remember, Robbie had these sleeping problems. Four, five, maybe six hours of sleep a night, if he was lucky. It deeply annoyed him but he figured that he couldn't really do much about it.

He had lost count on how many times he had looked up his symptoms on the internet. By now he must've tried everything that was supposed to help him. The only thing he had refused to do was going to see some sort of therapist about it because that was just stupid. How could another person possibly be of help in this matter?

The alarm clock clicked softly and switched from 02:59 to 03:00 am. Wide awake, but tired as if he hadn't slept for a week, Robbie flipped back the sheets and swung his legs out of the bed. His bare feet found a pair of fluffy orange slippers on the floor. He got up with another sigh and walked up towards the window to open the curtains. It was dark outside but his bedroom was lit up nonetheless by a nearby streetlamp.

If he's awake, he figured, he could as well get up and do something productive. More or less productive. Robbie, now dressed in only his pyjamas and a purple bathrobe, didn't really feel like working on one of his projects for work. Instead, he just strolled around the house for a while until he found himself in his garage.

Well, "garage" technically wasn't the right word for it, since Robbie always parked his car in the street. He had kind of transformed it into a little workshop where boxes were placed randomly within the room, the wooden tables all around the walls were covered with all kinds of materials and the drawers next to the door were near to bursting.

" _I should really clean this up at some point._ ", Robbie said to himself while scratching his head.

" _But not now._ " He yawned and was about to leave again when he spotted something in the corner of his eye. It was his old bike. He hadn't touched it in years and to be honest he kind of forgot about it. Robbie wasn't very sporty but he somehow felt the urge to try it out again.

He made his way across the room, eyes getting slightly bigger with interest as he approached the garage door. He pulled out the bike from behind a locker. It was covered in a layer of dust and spiderwebs. In the spots where Robbie had touched it,  
black varnish shimmered in the pale light of the only lamp above him.

He suddenly felt a warmth flooding his body as long-forgotten memories of trips he had done with this bike returned to his head. Admittedly, Robbie hadn't used it that often, since he considered himself a very lazy person. But still, he only had good memories of it.

The happiness faded when Robbie took a closer look at the tires and brakes. They were old and damaged and when he carefully moved one of the pedals with his hand, a squeaking noise sent shivers down his spine.

" _Well, I might need some oil here._ " He took a step back to look at the bike properly, hands in the pockets of his bathrobe.

" _And maybe some other stuff, too._ " Robbie turned around and moved towards the door that linked the garage to the rest of the house.

" _But first, coffee_."

* * *

Two and a half hours later, Robbie pushed his bike outside through the opened garage door, towards the slowly rising morning sun. It had taken him quite some time to fix it but he eventually did it in one sitting. Even the tires which drove him absolutely crazy several times because he just couldn't find the exact spot of damage to patch them. Multiple mugs with coffee stains had gathered on one of the workbenches inside the garage but still, the dark rings beneath Robbie's eyes had darkened even more.

Tired but proud of his work, he closed the garage door behind him. The morning air was freezing cold but Robbie had dressed in several layers of clothing. The visible outer layer consisted of a striped hoodie in two variations of purple and his most comfortable pair of black sweatpants, as well as black trainers with purple lacing that matched his hoodie. He hadn't put that much effort into the outcome of his outfit since it wasn't even 6 o'clock and he didn't really expect to actually run into someone he knew. He didn't know that many people anyways.

He figured that he wouldn't need to wear a helmet. He had searched all over his house but he didn't find one. He wasn't even sure if he had ever possessed such a thing. And also, he wasn't a little child anymore, he knew how to ride a bike.

Robbie was ready to go. He left his driveway behind and made his way further into town. The streets were empty, not a single person crossed his way. Only a few birds were flying above his head. It felt nice, riding a bike after all this time.

Robbie breathed in the refreshing morning air and felt the wind blowing through his hair softly. It was still calm outside. There was barely a noise around him except for his own breathing and an eventual click from his bike when he switched gears.

Although he wasn't going fast, Robbie eventually found himself out of breath. Admittedly, he was a little out of shape. He stopped for a pause when he reached his favourite park in the city centre. He sat down on a bench from where he could watch over nearly the whole area. The lake shimmered in the morning sun, the grass patches lay green and moist with dew. The atmosphere was calm and peaceful.

Robbie felt like the only man in town but he was eventually proved wrong when he saw someone running by quickly on the other side of the lake, a few hundred metres away from where he was sitting. And suddenly, he realised how the town seemed to wake up little by little. He heard the first cars beeping in the distance as well as window blinds being opened behind his back.

With a sigh, a content one this time, Robbie lifted himself on his feet and stretched himself a little. Then, he turned around and walked towards a little bakery in one of the rows of houses by the edge of the park, guided by the smell of freshly baked goods. It was one of his favourites, although he normally didn't go there at this time of the day.

Robbie left his bike behind, it still leaning against the bench. He figured that there wasn't anyone around who could possibly have an interest in stealing it, but he hurried nonetheless. Only a few minutes later, he returned to the bench with two chocolate croissants in a paper bag. They were still warm and smelled heavenly. His bike hadn't moved a centimetre.

When he had just started to eat the second croissant, Robbie heard footsteps coming nearer in a rather fast pace. Before he was able to locate where they were coming from or whom they belonged to, the person showed up in his field of vision. It was the jogger that Robbie had already seen earlier, on the other side of the lake.

He was wearing blue sweatpants and a white t-shirt that was so bright that it blinded Robbie. By his looks, Robbie could tell that he was doing workouts like this on a regular basis. He watched him coming nearer while taking a bite of his croissant.

" _Good morning!_ " The jogger slowed down his pace but didn't stop running. His voice was surprisingly soft and calm as if he wasn't even a little bit out of breath.

" _Morning…_ ", Robbie mumbled back, as clearly as it was possible, with his mouth still full. The stranger smiled with his head turned towards him. His teeth were even brighter than his shirt.

" _Bon appetit. And have a nice day_!" He chuckled, jogged past Robbie and speeded up again, almost doing a little sprint as he ran out of sight.

" _Thank you…_ ", Robbie answered after finally swallowing what he had still in his mouth. Surely, the jogger hadn't heard him. He was already too far off. Robbie caught himself staring into the direction that he had left. It was quiet again. Robbie shook his head when he realised that he hadn't moved for almost a minute and tried to focus on his croissant again.

He was just tired. That was it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now guess who that jogger is...


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They meet again, Sportacus nearly breaks something and drops his daughter off at school.

It had been exactly the same the in next night.

Robbie woke up after only 5 hours of sleep in total. He felt nowhere near well-rested but exhausted from another very short night. He got up at around 04:30 and slowly moved to the kitchen where he continued to make the first coffee of the day. He was sure that he wouldn't fall back asleep again. It never happened. No matter how hard he tried.

When the coffee was done and filled the air with a comforting scent, Robbie poured some of it into a mug. It had a goldfish on it. In his bathrobe, he headed for the living room. The big sofa, to be exact. When he walked past his aquarium, he stopped.

" _Look, it's you._ " He bent his knees to get a proper look into the water and held the mug next to his face so that the fish could see it. But they kept swimming as unamused as Robbie was himself.

He finally sat down on the sofa, covered himself with a blanket and switched the TV on. But none of the channels had something in their early morning program that could please Robbie. The TV was switched off again.

The sudden silence hit Robbie in a weird way. He couldn't stand it. He flipped back the blanket, immediately regretting it and slightly shivering from the cold of his living room.

He had to move. He had to get out of here. He had to escape the silence.

* * *

The first birds started to sing when Robbie sat down on the park bench. His bike was leaning against it, one of the tires softly brushed against his crossed leg. He took a deep breath and leaned back. The noises of nature filled his head.

He felt better now, after a short trip on his bike which had unintentionally lead him to the same place as on the day before. The bakery wouldn't open within the next hour since Robbie had arrived a little earlier today.

He closed his eyes for a while and ran his fingers through his hair which was a little messed up by the wind. He smiled to himself as he listened to the quiet singing of the birds up above in the trees. It was calm. But a nice calm.

Robbie jumped up and accidentally kicked his bike when he suddenly heard someone talking...to him?

" _Good morning again._ "

Robbie saw his bike falling over in slow motion. In those few seconds, he genuinely hoped that nothing would break since he had only repaired it yesterday. But before it hit the ground, two big hands caught it. With his heart beating uncontrollably fast, Robbie looked up, straight into the bright blue eyes of a quite familiar face.

It was the jogger who had greeted him the day before, who was now kneeling in front of him and wouldn't stop apologizing.

" _Oh, I'm sorry that I scared you! And I also hope that I didn't break anything_!", the stranger said while he leaned the bike back against the bench. " _Are you okay?_ "

Robbie's heartbeat slowed down a little and he sat up straight again.

" _No. I mean yes. I'm fine._ ", he stuttered and looked at the other man who was up on his feet again, hands stemmed against his hips.

" _Sorry again._ " Robbie couldn't tell if the cheeks of the man in front of him were reddening from embarrassment or if it was the aftermath of another morning run.

" _No, really. It's fine_." Robbie repeated, his head clear again. He got on his feet and took a quick look at his bike. " _Nothing seems to be broken._ " He tried to smile to make the other feel less bad about it.

" _Phew, okay, I'm relieved. I really like your bike by the way._ " The stranger smiled back at Robbie now, his white teeth blinding him just as they did the day before. He was wearing all blue today, sweatpants and a long sleeve athletic shirt. His blond curls were falling into his face.

" _Thank you._ " Robbie somehow was at a loss of words. But what could've possibly be added to that answer? _Thank you, I really like your smile?_ No, thanks. Thank god, he didn't have to add anything. His opposite spoke up again.

" _You're welcome. It looks very professional._ " The man smiled again and moved his curls out of his eyes. _Bright blue eyes_. Robbie smiled back at him and let out a chuckle.

" _Well, it's absolutely not! I haven't touched it in years and only repaired it yesterday._ "

" _Oh, I see._ " He nodded slowly. " _You did a great job, then._ "

Robbie was about to say thank you again but he was interrupted by a beeping sound coming from the other man's wrist.

" _Oh, sorry, but I have to keep going now_." The man in blue looked at his watch, tapping it twice to silence it.

" _Sorry again for the inconvenience. It was nice talking to you!_ " And with those words, he ran off again. In a matter of seconds, he disappeared behind a row of bushes.

" _Oh no_.", Robbie thought to himself. " _You won't be having the last word today._ " He stretched his neck and shouted back at the stranger, not sure if he could still hear him.

" _Have a nice day!_ "

* * *

" _Have a nice day._ "

The shouted words were replaying in his head as Sportacus quietly opened the door to the apartment. He still felt really bad for scaring someone unintentionally and nearly breaking his bike, which he had apparently just repaired. It could've gone so wrong.

Sportacus was relieved when his fitness timer got him out of the situation. Something inside of him made him cringe hard when he thought about what he had said earlier. He had meant it all. But he just wasn't good at saying the right things for small talk.

The apartment was silent. Just as the rest of the building, Stephanie was still asleep. Sportacus took a quick shower before dressing in something comfortable and heading to the kitchen to prepare breakfast.

He couldn't help it, his thoughts always trailed off to the situation in the park. The whole thing had become even more embarrassing for him when they both passed each other again on one of the paved ways near the lake. Sportacus had tried hard not to blush, it must've looked awkward.

Why had he even talked to that man today? Ah yes, right. Because he had looked so peaceful and content, just sitting there in the morning sun, fingers playing with strands of his dark hair. Sportacus had to stop himself from staring at the young man for too long. And just walking past him wouldn't have felt right. That's why.

Sportacus wondered if he came to the park often. He couldn't tell since he just moved here last week with his daughter Stephanie. He was offered a new job in town, in a popular gym. He liked the new job and by what she had told him, Stephanie liked her new school, too.

She already made some new friends. It didn't surprise Sportacus at all. His daughter was very open and somehow managed to get nearly everyone to like her in the shortest amount of time. She was in 4th grade and would change from elementary to another school this summer. Sportacus was very proud of her.

The clock on the kitchen wall eventually showed him that it was time to wake up Stephanie, if she didn't want to be late for school. Sportacus softly knocked on her bedroom door and entered. It was dark inside.

" _Good morning, sweetheart._ ", he whispered as he opened the curtains in front of the window. The room was flooded with light. Stephanie shifted around under her sheets when a ray of light lit up her face. Sportacus sat down by her side.

" _Time to get up._ " He smiled at the sight of his daughter and pushed a strand of blond hair behind one of her ears. Stephanie slowly opened her eyes and smiled back at her father.

" _Good morning, dad. Have you already prepared breakfast?_ "

" _It's all ready on the kitchen table. Hurry up and get dressed._ " Sportacus placed a kiss on her cheek before he got up again and waited for his daughter in the kitchen. She followed a few minutes later, dressed all pink. It was her favourite colour.

Stephanie sat down in front of her dad and started eating what Sportacus had prepared for her. A healthy breakfast with lots of fruit was very important. And she liked it, so she never complained.

" _How was your morning run?_ ", Stephanie asked without looking up. The first thing that suddenly popped into Sportacus's head, was the man in the purple sweater on the park bench, whose bike he had almost broken by accidentally scaring him. He let out a chuckle.

" _What? What happened?_ " His daughter gave him a curious look. Sportacus couldn't stop himself from smiling when he told Stephanie what had happened to him in the early morning. When he came to the end of his story, she had put down her spoon and shook her head.

" _Oh Dad, you're so embarrassing._ "

Sportacus chuckled again. " _But I think he forgave me. He wished me a nice day after all._ " He genuinely hoped so, at least. The man seemed to be nice and if they would see each other in the park every morning, he didn't want them to just walk past each other in silence. That would be even more awkward.

" _It's okay, dad. You can stop smiling now, I think he forgave you._ " His daughter grinned sweetly. " _I'm gonna go brush my teeth now._ "

Sportacus had to smile even more from that statement of his daughter. He got up quickly and continued to wash the dishes before he joined Stephanie in the bathroom to check if she brushed her teeth properly.

They put on their jackets and left the apartment together. Stephanie took her dad's hand as they strolled down the sidewalk and made their way to her school where Sportacus dropped her off. When they arrived, Stephanie said goodbye with a quick kiss on her father's cheek before she ran out of sight.

Sportacus followed her with his eyes as long as possible before he eventually lost her in the crowd. He turned around, smiling to himself, hands in the pockets of his jacket. A lot of the other parents stood around him and said goodbye to their children. Sportacus smiled at them but didn't start a conversation. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice within only a couple of hours, he thought to himself and quickly left the venue.

In order to get to know the city a little bit better, he took another route on his way back. He strolled around for about half an hour, walking at a high speed since that was his normal tempo plus it was getting cold. He passed the park when he was only a few minutes away from the apartment.

The man with the dark hair and purple sweater was nowhere to be seen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Will they ever learn each others names? Who knows.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They finally get to know each others names and Robbie talks to his fish again.

A few days passed until Sportacus saw the young man again.

He had feared that he had scared him off. Or maybe he _did_ break something on the bike and he couldn't make it to the park without it? Sportacus didn't know and it drove him crazy.

He was more than relieved when he saw the man walking through the park a few mornings later. He didn't have his bike with him but he still wore some kind of workout clothes. Sportacus spotted him on his 5th lap around the lake. The purple sweater caught his eye when he was still a few hundred metres behind him.

Sportacus started sprinting without even thinking about it and stopped abruptly when he was about 5 metres away. He suddenly remembered how much he had scared him last time and therefore decided to attract attention more carefully. He stopped his timer, making sure that it wouldn't beep and interrupt them again.

With three big steps, he caught up with the man and continued to walk beside him. He was walking slowly and looked down at his feet, deep in thought. His silky dark hair shined in the sunlight. Sportacus was genuinely worried to scare him again and therefore couldn't really think of a way to approach him.

It was very awkward! Sportacus almost ran off again and left him behind without having said a word. But eventually, the man in the purple sweater turned his head and spotted Sportacus walking next to him. Instead of jumping back in fear, the man's face lit up and turned into a mild smile as he looked Sportacus in the eyes.

" _Hello_." His calm voice reached Sportacus's ear with a delay. He smiled back when he finally woke up from whatever daydream he was having.

" _Hi, nice to see you again_!"

" _Nice to see you, too._ " The man removed his hands from his pockets to brush his hair back. It was only now that Sportacus realised how tall he was. He had to turn his head slightly up to look at his face.

" _I didn't see you around the last days._ " They turned around a corner further into the park. Sportacus didn't plan to go that way but so far he enjoyed the conversation and decided to just go with the man who surely knew the layout of the park better than he did.

" _Probably because I haven't been here in the last days_." The man suddenly seemed to feel very hot as he rolled up the sleeves of his hoodie, revealing long, pale arms.

" _Oh, I see. And why was that?_ " Sportacus immediately regretted his question, although it very much interested him. But he barely knew the man. He feared that the question might have been too personal. He let out a relieved sigh under his breath when the man answered.

" _I have a problem with my bike. I couldn't work up the motivation to fix it and I was too lazy to walk here until today._ "

Sportacus's mouth dropped open. He didn't answer but looked at him in shock. So he _had_ broken something! " _I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to!_ ", he wanted to say. But he couldn't. The man next to him was faster to reply.

" _Oh no! Don't even worry about it. It was not your fault. I drove over a broken piece of glass on my way home._ " He stopped talking for a second and smiled at Sportacus brightly, who lost all control over his facial expressions.  
" _I'll just have to patch the tires. That's all._ "

" _Oh, okay!_ ", was the only thing Sportacus could think of. He felt relieved and straightened his back while trying hard to regain his confidence.  
" _That's a shame when you say that you had only just repaired it_."

" _Yeah…_ ", he heard the other man say. He hid his face by turning his head towards the paved ground again. An awkward silence filled the air between them and Sportacus desperately thought of something to say.

" _My name is Sportacus, by the way._ " The man next to him stopped walking as soon as he had finished his sentence. Oh no. Did he say something wrong again? Or was it his rather uncommon name that confused him? Sportacus wondered if the situation could get any more embarassing. " _Nice to meet you_.", he awkwardly added and scratched his head as he felt the blood rushing into his cheeks.

" _I'm Robbie_." The stranger smiled down at him. Well, technically he wasn't a stranger anymore now. " _Nice to meet you, too, I guess_."

Sportacus took the chance and had a proper look at the man in front of him. He now knew his name. Robbie. He liked it. Robbie blew a strand of his black hair out of his face which made Sportacus focus more on his eyes. They were light grey with a hint of blue. The dark circles underneath made a contrast to his pale skin. Sportacus was just thinking about the flattering smile he was faced with and how elegant the black hair looked on him despite his rather baggy clothes, but he got interrupted by Robbie himself.

" _Well then. I guess you want to continue your run._ " How long had he been staring at him? Probably too long.

" _I uh...yes. I better get going._ ", he stammered and quickly looked away. He raised his arm and pretended to look at the timer on his watch. " _See you soon. And have a nice day._ " Sportacus stole one last glance at Robbie before he left him and ran off.

If he wouldn't have been so fast, he would have seen Robbie's cheek reddening.

From the cold obviously.

* * *

Three deeply exhausting days and nights laid behind Robbie.

He had been busy with work, he couldn't sleep and in general, things didn't work out well for him. It had all started when he had noticed the lack of air in the tires of his bike. He didn't feel like repairing them a second time within only three days, so he just left it abandoned in his garage.

This morning, Robbie had come to the park again to relax after three days of nonstop working. He just strolled around, breathing in the cold morning air, enjoying the ripple of the lake, all snuggled up in his favourite hoodie and sweatpants. He felt happy.

And his mood brightened up even more when he suddenly saw the cute jogger, _no wait, he wasn't cute_ , just casually walking next to him, probably waiting for Robbie to spot him.

Throughout the whole conversation, their longest so far, Robbie felt like he was blushing to the max, he felt the heat rising up inside of him and he didn't even know why. A part of him was relieved when Sportacus, that was his name, had to continue his run. The other part of him was somehow sad.

For the first time in forever, Robbie was actually kind of glad that his sleeping problems woke him up way too early every night. Because otherwise, he would never have made it to the park this early in the morning to catch a glimpse at Sportacus.

He found himself sitting on one of the park benches every morning of the next week, although he still hadn't repaired his bike. He would enjoy his croissants and the blooming nature around him and just wait for Sportacus to pass by.

When he did, he would smile at him and say: " _Good morning, Robbie!_ ", a little out of breath, but always with a smile on his face. And Robbie would wave at him and say: " _Hi, Sportacus!_ " or something similar to that. He was happy just to see him. Nothing on earth could get him to join Sportacus on his runs. Not even if he would ask him personally. Okay.. _maybe_ he would in that case, but he would certainly only embarrass himself. 

He was anything but "fit". Robbie already felt exhausted whenever he finally opened the front door to his house after many hours out in the cold. He completely underestimated the distance to the park and back. His sweater and multiple layers sweatpants would hold him warm most of the time. But although they could technically function as workout clothes, Robbie hadn't planned to actually work out in them only once. He just wore them for comfort reasons.

Unlike Sportacus, who would be running in a t-shirt everyday, sweat stains on its back. Robbie wondered why he got up to run so early in the morning and how many kilometres he ran in an hour.

" _What do you think?_ ", he asked his fish when he passed the aquarium on his way to the bathroom. He watched and spotted Flobby, one of the guppies, swimming in a loop three times.

Robbie's mouth gasped open. " _What? You think he can do three kilometres only?_ " He straightened his back and crossed his arms in front of his chest. " _That can't be. I'm guessing he can do at least ten._ " He pouted and angrily stared at Flobby.

When he realised what he was doing, he facepalmed himself and sighed. Great, now he was already talking about the jogger to his fish and had actually awaited a serious answer of them.

He was out of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter will be more interesting, I promise.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie has good hearing. Stephanie has an accident. And Sportacus has a rather eventful day.
> 
> (No fish this time, sorry.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already got so many nice comments on this fic. Thank you all so much for reading and liking it <3

There was a playground on the other side of the park. Robbie had never really paid attention to it until this very day.

It was Thursday. For the first time in weeks, Robbie came to the city centre by car since he got so used to go by bike or, now that it needed to be repaired, by walking. He normally didn't leave the house in the afternoon as he worked from home most of the time and never really had a reason to go outside. Leaving home was always supposed to be an exception.

Robbie parked his car in one of the parking lots by the edge of the park. He needed to pick up something for work from the nearby post office which only opened in the afternoon. Robbie hadn't been to the park in the morning. For multiple reasons.

Firstly, he had only managed to fall asleep around 4 o'clock in the early morning and therefore figured that it was too late to catch a glimpse of Sportacus when he woke up.

And secondly, speaking of Sportacus, he hadn't seen him the morning before and it had somehow disappointed him. The chances were high that he wouldn't meet him the next day, either. Which is why Robbie had eventually preferred to stay in bed and sleep for as long as it was possible for him.

The park somehow looked different in the afternoon. There were more colours, more sounds and also more people. Robbie didn't like when places got too crowded. The people would always be annoying and loud and Robbie's ears were sensitive to loud noises.

Robbie had never paid attention to the playground until now. He had just closed the boot of his car, when he heard a surprised gasp, followed by what sounded like the dull noise of something hitting the ground hard, coming from the direction of said playground.

He looked around and located a little girl sitting on the floor underneath the monkey bars. The sounds of her crying were carried to Robbie's ears by a soft breeze. He looked around some more but there was no one around. The little girl was alone.

Robbie really wanted to get into his car and just drive home as fast as possible, but he couldn't. He couldn't leave her like that. He figured that the least he had to do was to go and check if she was okay. " _It's really a shame that my heart isn't actually made of stone._ ", he whispered to himself as he locked his car and jogged over to the playground. He slowed down a little when he approached and eventually kneeled down in the sand. The girl next to him hadn't stopped crying.

" _Hello, darling. Are you okay?_ " Robbie tried to build up eye contact but the little girl covered her face with her hands. She had light blonde hair down to her shoulders and wore an all-pink dress as well as pink leggings and shoes.

" _Are you hurt? Can I help you?_ ", Robbie added when she didn't stop sobbing into her sleeves. He carefully rubbed his hand up and down her back to calm her down a little. It worked.

" _My arm hurts._ ", the girl finally answered with tears streaming down her face. He would never admit, but it broke Robbie's heart, seeing a little girl cry like that.

" _Which one of your arms hurts? The right one?_ "

The girl shook her head and sniffed.

" _The left one?_ " Robbie pointed to her left arm, careful not to touch it by accident.

She answered with a nod and rubbed some tears out of her eyes with her right hand.

" _Okay._ ", Robbie said calmly and helped her to stand up on her feet again. He stayed in his kneeling position to talk to her on eye level.

" _May I ask for your name?_ " He started to carefully rub her back again as her sobbing got slightly louder.

" _Stephanie._ ", the girl replied between her sniffs. She looked up at Robbie with big eyes, edges slowly reddening from so much crying.

" _Nice to meet you, Stephanie. I'm Robbie_.", Robbie introduced himself to the girl and had no other choice but to smile at her brown, puppy-like eyes. She couldn't share the smile, yet.

" _So, Stephanie. Are your mummy or daddy around?_ "

She shook her head again.

" _My dad is at home_ ", she sniffed and looked at Robbie, " _and my arm hurts so much_."

The girl called Stephanie started to cry again. Robbie shushed and rubbed her back until she calmed down a little more.

" _Do you live far from here? I could bring you home to your dad if you'd like me to._ ", Robbie offered while genuinely hoping that she didn't live too far off. Though one thing was clear for him: no matter how far she lived from the park, when he would meet her dad, Robbie would definitely point out to him that it was absolutely irresponsible to let kids play unattended. How old could she possibly be? Eight? Nine? Ten?

The girl nodded and told Robbie her address. Luckily, it was only a few streets away. He had to walk slowly to match up with her pace and eventually, Stephanie had reached out for Robbie's hand to walk alongside him. The other arm was held close to her chest.

It must've looked so normal for anyone else. Just another father and his daughter walking through the park, hand in hand. But it felt so weird to Robbie. He was glad to help her, of course, but still, it didn't feel quite right since he was technically a complete stranger to her. He wondered how she had trusted him so quickly. Maybe it was just a way to cope with the pain?

* * *

Stephanie calmed down more and more on their way to her house. She had told Robbie how she had just moved there a couple of weeks ago and that she had to switch schools. Robbie listened to her in interest, her voice was still trembling a little. He was beginning to think that she was kind of sweet.

When they walked up the stairs to an apartment building together, she was still holding on to Robbie's hand. In his head, he had already prepared every word that he wanted to mention in front of Stephanie's dad.

But Robbie's mind went blank in a matter of seconds after he had confidently knocked on the door that Stephanie had shown him and it was opened by someone familiar only a few moments later.

" _Hello, Stephanie. You're back earlier than I expected y-_ ". The man in the doorway stopped talking abruptly when Stephanie ran towards him and buried her face in his stomach. It was Sportacus, the jogger from the park, who looked at him in shock.

Robbie didn't know that a human being was capable of feeling this many emotions at the same time as he did in that exact moment.

He was surprised to see Sportacus' face in a different surrounding, other than the park. He also felt somehow happy to see him again since he hadn't seen him in a few days now. He felt flustered because _damn_ , Sportacus looked good in those jeans and t-shirt. He could feel his cheeks blushing on an instant, he was at a loss of words, but the longer he stared at the man in front of him, he also felt somewhat sad.

The realisation that Stephanie was his daughter hit Robbie hard and made the smile slowly fade from his face. Until now, he hadn't even thought about the possibility of Sportacus having a daughter and therefore a partner. He was so dumb. How could he even assume that a man like him was single? Not that he was interested in him... because he wasn't, of course!

Eventually, and to his own surprise, Robbie was the first one to regain his words.

" _Uhm...hi. I-I found your daughter by the playground in the park. I think she slipped off the monkey bars. Her left arm hurts. It might be broken. I would consider to check it in the hospital._ "

Robbie left out that whole part about how it was irresponsible to leave children alone by themselves. He figured that it wouldn't improve his appearance in front of Sportacus, although he was technically right. And somehow, he couldn't at all imagine Sportacus being irresponsible in any way.

Sportacus stared at Robbie a few more seconds before he suddenly realised what was actually going on. He went down on one knee to talk to his daughter and pushed a strand of her hair behind one of her ears. It was of the exact same colour than her dad's. How did Robbie not realise it earlier?

" _You hurt your arm, Stephanie?_ ", Sportacus's asked his daughter, his voice was trembling a little. Stephanie responded with a nod and continued to rub tears out of her eyes with the hand of her healthy arm.

" _Do you want some ice for it? Or do you want to go see a doctor at the hospital?_ " She nodded at both of his questions and hid her face in her father's shoulder. Sportacus looked at her more and more worried.

" _Okay, sweetheart. We can do that_." Sportacus gave her a mild but worried smile and rubbed his daughters back just as Robbie had done it before. For a second, he wondered whether that was the reason she had trusted him so quickly. Stephanie sniffed.

" _I-I could drive you, if you want to…_ " Robbie carefully raised his voice again. " _I have my car parked a few streets away._ " He immediately regretted to have offered his services once more, but he meant it. He really wanted to help.

" _Oh, no! That won't be necessary._ " Sportacus got up and gave Robbie a thankful look. " _You've already done so much for us today. I don't want to bother you any longer_."

Robbie was ready to protest against Sportacus' opinion since it really didn't bother him at all, but the man was already talking to his daughter again.

" _Okay, Stephanie. You wait here with Robbie for a second. I'll get some ice and the car keys_." The girl nodded and let go of her father's hand. Sportacus quickly left them alone in the hallway. Robbie heard him open some cupboard doors and finally the sound of keys hitting against each other. He suddenly felt really out place.

Sportacus joined them again, a bag of ice in the one hand and a bunch of keys in the other. He gently placed the ice on Stephanie's hurt arm and told her to hold it for herself before closing the apartment door.

Robbie silently accompanied them outside and watched Stephanie crawl on the backseat of a blue car that was parked in front of the house. Sportacus pushed the door close for her after she got in and fastened her seatbelt. He then turned around and walked up towards Robbie, who felt his cheeks reddening as soon as they had eye contact.

" _I can't thank you enough for bringing her home. I'm so glad that you happened to be around!_ " Sportacus's eyes were widened with worry but he tried to smile nonetheless. His curls were falling all over his forehead but it didn't seem to bother him at the moment.

" _No problem. I was happy to help_." Robbie awkwardly smiled back at him. " _I hope she'll get better soon._ "

Sportacus nodded. " _Me too. I hope the injury is not too bad._ " He gave Robbie another worried look before he eventually remembered something. He pulled out a note from his jeans pocket and handed it over to Robbie.

" _Please, let me know if you need help with anything. So we can return the favour._ " Robbie took the offered note from his hand and looked at it.

" _That won't be necessary. It didn't bother me at all._ ", he wanted to say, but Sportacus had already hurried back to the car. Robbie watched him get in and close the door to the driver's seat, his mouth still open. The blue car left the parking area and disappeared behind the next street corner.

Robbie was left alone in front of the building, a note with Sportacus's phone number in his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I told you this chapter was gonna be interesting!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A father-daughter talk. And a jogger-cyclist chat.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am uploading two chapters at once because it was supposed to be one chapter but it got too long :D  
> So make sure to read the next chapter, too!

Sportacus couldn't tell what had shocked him more. Stephanie coming home injured or Robbie who had kindly accompanied her. Of course, at that moment he had worried about his daughter the most. But it had been hard to focus his emotions on her in Robbie's presence.

It was a lot easier for him to concentrate on Stephanie when they rushed to the hospital alone. Sportacus had asked her about every detail of the accident, he had been worried but not angry. At no point in the conversation with his daughter, he had yelled at her for not paying attention. He didn't even think about it. It just wasn't his way of education.

Luckily, it hadn't been too crowded at the emergency room and they only had to wait for 30 minutes until a young doctor joined them to check on Stephanie's arm. Sportacus made sure to hold the hand of her healthy arm throughout the whole examination.

But eventually, he had no other chance than to let go of his daughter's hand when the doctor wanted to x-ray the injury, just in case. Sportacus had to promise that an x-ray didn't hurt at all and was very proud of Stephanie when she returned from the x-ray room a few minutes later, a relieved smile on her face.

After another 15 minutes of waiting, the doctor had returned with the results. He came with bad news. The arm was broken. Robbie's assumption had been correct. Stephanie had gotten a cast to stabilise her arm and they were allowed leave.

It had been easier for Sportacus to focus on his daughter when they were alone. But now that they were back at home, cuddled up on the sofa while watching TV, everything that had happened replayed in Sportacus's head.

He thought of the exact moment he had raised his head in the doorway, only to see Robbie in a jeans as black his hair and a shirt as purple as his signature sweater, standing in the hallway, while holding his daughter's hand. 

He thought of how Robbie had offered to drive them to the hospital and how he had to reject the offer because he didn't want to bother him any longer.

He thought of how he had to leave Robbie behind although he had been so nice and helpful.

As if she had read Sportacus's mind, Stephanie suddenly turned towards her father and raised her voice.

"Dad, how did you know Robbie's name?" Sportacus tilted his head to look at her and laid an arm around her shoulders while she continued.

"I didn't tell you. And Robbie didn't tell you either." She looked at her dad with big eyes. Sportacus chuckled. 

"Do you remember when I told you about the man in the park whose bike I nearly broke?"

"Yes, I do.", Stephanie answered and nodded.

"Well…", Sportacus replied. "That was Robbie." He grinned at his daughter. The corners of her mouth lifted themselves up as well before she burst out laughing.

"Hey, don't laugh at me!", Sportacus said but started to laugh himself. He was glad that Stephanie was able to smile again.

"Well, now I'm pretty sure that he forgave you about his bike." Stephanie yawned after she had calmed down. Sportacus could imagine how tired she must've been. I had been an exhausting day for her.

"Do you think so? We've been keeping him up on his feet for quite some time." Sportacus chuckled and looked at his daughter who slowly closed her eyes as she snuggled deeper into her dad's arm.

"Yeah. But Robbie is a nice guy." 

That was true. Robbie had been very nice and kind to both of them. Which made Sportacus feel even worse because he just couldn't make up for it. He stared at the wall in front of him for a few seconds, the noise of the TV was echoing in his head.

"Dad?", his daughter eventually asked.

"Yes, sweetheart?" Sportacus gently pulled her closer to him and listened.

"I want him to sign my cast."

He blinked a few times.

"You want Robbie to sign your cast?"

Stephanie nodded, she was almost asleep. "Yes. He saved me after all. I mean..he helped me and brought me here."

Sportacus looked back at the wall. "I guess we could arrange that…" But how? When he turned his head towards his daughter again to seek for an answer to his silent question, she was already fast asleep in his arms.

He picked her up carefully and without waking her again, Sportacus carried her to her room and tucked her into bed. "Good night, sweetheart.", he whispered, although she couldn't hear him anymore. He placed a soft kiss on her forehead before switching off the lights and returning to the living room.

As soon as his body touched the sofa again, Sportacus suddenly remembered. He had given Robbie his phone number! He had scribbled it on a small piece of paper when he was looking for the car keys in the apartment.

How could he forget about that? He blamed it on the stressful situation while jumping up again to look for his phone. Where was it? He hadn't checked it since the afternoon.

Sportacus's hands were slightly shaking when he finally found it and returned to the sofa. The display lit up and showed a message from an unknown number. His heart was beating fast when he unlocked the phone and read.

"Hi, it's Robbie. I was just wondering if Stephanie was okay. What did the doctors say? Is the arm broken?"

Sportacus smiled at the worried message. Robbie cared so much for her. He quickly saved Robbie's contact in his phone and typed in an answer.

"Hey, Robbie. It's Sportacus. Yes, the arm is broken, your assumption was right. But apart from that, Stephanie is already feeling much better!"

He checked the message three times for any spelling mistakes before finally sending it. Hopefully, he would reply soon. Sportacus couldn't lie, he was excited to chat with Robbie. Somehow, it made him very happy and he had to stop himself from smiling too hard. His heart skipped a beat when he heard the notification sound only a few moments later.

"That's good to hear! I guess she was very brave today."

Sportacus nodded in agreement at what he read. Stephanie had indeed been very brave and he was very proud of her. Somehow, he could tell that Robbie was, too.

"Thank you again for bringing her home! Really, it could've gone so much worse if you weren't there. I can't thank you enough!"

He felt a little awkward for thanking Robbie this much, but it had to be said! And it was the truth. He didn't know if he could ever forgive himself if something even worse had happened to his daughter. He loved her more than anything.

"It's fine, really. I already told you that I was happy to help."

Robbie was right. He did say it when Sportacus had to leave him behind in the parking area. He still remembered the confused look on his face when he drove off in the car and secretly watched him through the rear mirror. It was a cute look, almost hurt but Sportacus couldn't help it. He had to.

"So..will you be at the park tomorrow morning?"

He typed in the next message and sent it. But the reply wasn't what he had hoped it would be.

"Actually, I'm not quite sure yet.."

He let his phone sink down on his chest for a moment. Robbie's answer disappointed him a little. He had genuinely hoped to meet him again. He liked him.

"That's okay. I was just asking. I could tell you more about what the doctor said. And also, I think I have some explaining to do…"

Sportacus could feel Robbie judging him through the screen for being an irresponsible parent and not having enough time to play with his daughter. But that was a misunderstanding and Sportacus really wanted to explain himself in front of Robbie, so that he wouldn't think too bad about him.

Robbie's next reply surprised him.

"Well..then, I will try to be there around six!"

Sportacus's heart was beating faster again. He bent his knees to his chest and excitedly typed in another message. He was smiling from ear to ear.

"Great! See you tomorrow then :)"

A few kilometres further out of town, Robbie sat on his own sofa in the exact same position with the exact same look on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you haven't noticed already...they are in love.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> One drinks coffee. One drinks tea. Guess who is who.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is kinda short because I had to split it.  
> The next one will be longer again!

The next morning was grey and wet. I had rained throughout the whole night and wouldn't stop until the evening. Robbie hadn't slept well, but he didn't feel tired either. He was way too excited. He had even paid extra attention to the look of his hair and his outfit today. His final choice was a purple shirt, similar to the one he wore on the day before, and another pair of black jeans.

Since it was raining, Robbie didn't walk but drove to the city centre in his car. He entered the park with an umbrella in his one hand, the other one was buried in the pocket of his jacket. It was cold and wet but the rain dripping on the leaves, the pavement and the lake created a soothing background noise.

Robbie strolled around for some time but Sportacus was nowhere to be seen. He checked his phone from time to time to see if he had maybe sent him a message. But he hadn't. Robbie already feared that he wouldn't come, maybe he forgot about it or he had changed his mind and didn't want to meet him anymore.

When he decided to go a little further into the direction of Sportacus's house, he finally saw him coming around a corner a few hundred metres away. Robbie was relieved but panicked a little as soon as he saw him coming nearer. What was up with him?

He forced himself to calm down and pretended that everything was fine when they met halfway. Robbie couldn't hold back a smile when Sportacus stopped in front of him. He wore a blue waterproof jacket, the end of his curls showed underneath the hood.

"Hi, Robbie." Sportacus smiled at him brightly. Robbie returned the greeting, also smiling.

"I thought maybe we could grab some breakfast in a café? It gets cold quickly while standing in the rain." He chuckled and looked up at the grey sky for a second.

Robbie's heart did a flip. Actually, he had been thinking about a similar suggestion and he was glad that Sportacus shared his opinion.

"Good idea." He replied. "I know a little bakery in a nearby street. It should be open already."

"Let's go then!", Sportacus said with an excited undertone in his voice and waited for Robbie to give instructions about how to get there. They started walking next to each other. Robbie was tempted to ask him whether he wanted to join him underneath the umbrella since he only had a jacket, but he didn't dare. Also, Sportacus didn't seem to be bothered by the rain as he hadn't stopped smiling whenever Robbie slightly turned his head to look at him.

"Here we are!", Robbie announced when they had reached the entrance of the bakery. They sat down in front of each other at a table by the front window. Sportacus ordered a brown bread sandwich with lots of salad on it and a cup of green tea. It almost made Robbie feel bad when he ordered one of his beloved croissants and a cup of coffee.

"So..how is Stephanie doing?" Robbie folded his hands and looked at Sportacus as they waited for their orders to arrive.

"She's doing alright. I just checked on her before I left. She's still sleeping safe and sound. I guess I will have to wake her up so that she won't be late for school." He chuckled and brushed back his curls.

"I guess yesterday was very exhausting for her." Robbie replied and smiled softly.

"Yes, it was. And for me, too. I was pretty shocked when you both were suddenly standing in the hallway without any warning, you know?" Sportacus looked at his hands on the table.

"By the way. I know you're gonna be annoyed by this but, thank you again! Thank you for being so kind and helpful."

Robbie chuckled at his words. "It's fine, really. You can stop apologizing."

A waiter arrived with their food and they had to interrupt their conversation for a few seconds. But as soon as they were alone again, Robbie raised his voice.

"How did your partner react to it?"

The question had been burning in his head all night. What about his partner? Maybe he was married? Or engaged? Robbie knew it was none of his business, but he had to know.

"Partner?" Sportacus tilted his head and glanced at Robbie for a second before he eventually got what he meant by that.

"Oh, no, I don't have a partner." His face changed from a confused look to a mild smile. "I have been single for many years now. I'm raising Stephanie alone."

Robbie didn't know how to feel about that. He just mumbled something like "Ah, I see." under his breath and quickly took a sip of his coffee.

"Stephanie really likes you, too, by the way."

"Too?", Robbie thought in his head and widened his eyes but Sportacus already continued to talk.

"She wants you to sign her cast. Since you were the one who saved her." He grinned and took a sip from his tea.

"Really?", Robbie replied still slightly startled. Sportacus nodded while putting the cup back on the table.

"Well..if she wants me to? I guess I could do that.", he answered before taking a bite of his croissant. He couldn't hide his smile any longer.

"If you want to, we could pick her up from school in the afternoon to surprise her. I think she would be happy to see you." Sportacus smiled at Robbie so sweetly that he almost melted into a puddle.

"You could come over to our apartment afterwards, if you're free."

"That sounds like a great idea. I would love to.", Robbie answered. He had felt comfortable around Sportacus so quickly and couldn't wait to see Stephanie again as well.

It was crazy. Two weeks ago, they had been strangers. And now they were sitting in this café, eating breakfast together. It was almost like a… Robbie didn't dare to finish that thought. But secretly, that was what he wished it had been.

A date. That was what he excitedly told his fish when he was at home again. He had been on an unofficial date with Sportacus and it had been amazing. Robbie was already looking forward to seeing him again in the afternoon.

The smile didn't fade from his face the entire morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Their first unofficial date...Robbies fish are so proud.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Stephanie is happy. Robbie is happy (and in love). Sportacus is happy (and in love, too).
> 
> This chapter is just pure joy.

For the second time in only one day, Robbie was waiting for Sportacus in the rain. He had just rang the doorbell to his apartment to signalise that he was there and ready to pick up Stephanie from school. The front door clicked open a few moments later and Sportacus joined Robbie on the sidewalk.

"Hello again.", Sportacus greeted and opened the dark blue umbrella in his hand. Robbie just smiled at him, he felt too overwhelmed for anything else. He was just so...handsome.

"Are you ready to go? Stephanie's school is not far from here." 

"I'm ready.", Robbie replied as he began to walk beside Sportacus underneath his own umbrella.

"I haven't been to an actual school in years.", he informed his company with an excited undertone in his voice. Sportacus chuckled.

"Well, I've been there quite often in the last weeks. I didn't want Stephanie to go alone since we're still new in town."

Robbie smiled. His expectations about Sportacus were absolutely right. He wasn't irresponsible at all. It was more of the opposite, he was actually very caring and responsible.

"That's a good thing to do. I think she enjoys the company." He turned his head and smiled at Sportacus who was just blowing some curls out of his face. Robbie was fascinated.

"She will definitely enjoy it today since you are going to be there to pick her up." Their eyes suddenly met as Sportacus also turned his head to the side. "And actually, I enjoy it, too."

Robbie's heart skipped a beat. He couldn't help it and smiled widely as Sportacus continued to explain.

"You know, I haven't met many of the other parents, yet. So, it's nice to have some company." They had to stop at a red light and watched the cars rush by. Robbie's cheeks must've been of the same colour as the traffic light.

"Well, I'm happy to accompany you, too."

Sportacus chuckled and looked at his feet but Robbie could still see him smiling. The only thing he couldn't tell was whether he blushed or if it was just the shadow of his umbrella that slightly darkened his face.

They continued to talk about this and that and eventually arrived at the school. A few parents, mostly young couples, were already waiting outside. Sportacus and Robbie didn't stand out at all. They had to wait a few more minutes until several doors were opened and released plenty of children into the rain.

Robbie immediately spotted Stephanie in the crowd. It was easy to find her since she was the only one wearing a bright pink jacket.

"I can see her." Robbie said smiling, eyes tracking her movements in the crowd. She seemed to be with a group of friends.

"That's unfair. You're much taller than me." Sportacus laughed and playfully hit Robbie's arm. He barely felt it through the cloth of his jacket but he still freaked out on the inside because Sportacus had just touched him!!

"Where is she?", the smaller man asked, still chuckling.

"Over there." Robbie pointed at the bright point of pink slowly moving nearer to them. This was when Stephanie spotted Robbie, too.

"Robbiiiieee!!", she shouted as she ran towards him and hugged him around the hips since she was too little to reach any higher. Robbie felt his body stiffen. He didn't know how to react, although he was more than happy to be greeted like that.

"You came to pick me up from school!" Stephanie stepped back and happily beamed up at Robbie's face. He nodded.

"Yes, I did. But your dad is here, too." Robbie turned his head to look at Sportacus who smiled but somehow looked like he was about to cry. Maybe he was playing it, to get some attention from his daughter as well.

"Hi, dad." Stephanie smiled at her father and hugged him, too.

"Hello, sweetheart.", Sportacus greeted her while lovingly stroking the top of his daughter's head. He looked perfectly fine again. Stephanie's attention moved back to Robbie as soon as Sportacus had let her go.

"Can you sign my cast, now that you're already here? Pleeaasee!" She was already about to take off her jacket to reveal the cast but Sportacus stopped her before she had pulled the zipper down all the way.

"Actually, Stephanie, Robbie will be coming home with us." 

Stephanie couldn't believe her ears.

"Really?", she asked excitedly. "You will visit us at the apartment? You're gonna be our first guest ever!" She pulled the sleeve of Robbie's jacket, impatiently waiting for him to respond either verbally or physically.

Robbie grinned and nodded at her. He was more than honoured to be their first guest.

"Why are we still standing here, then? Let's go!" She beamed up at both, Sportacus and Robbie. Seeing her this happy made Robbie happy, too. He couldn't remember the last time that someone had been this excited to see him.

"Here, take an umbrella, Stephanie. I don't want you to get too wet." Sportacus handed his umbrella to his daughter who had already sprinted off a few metres.

"Robbie and I can share if that's okay." He turned his head to look at Robbie who nodded without hesitation. Of course, it was okay! Robbie couldn't think of something he would rather do! He felt his heart beating faster in his chest when he switched his umbrella to the other side so Sportacus and him could fit under it together.

"Thank you.", Sportacus said relieved and smiled softly. They had to walk close, their shoulders eventually brushed against each other when they finally left the schoolyard. Stephanie happily walked a few metres in front of them. 

\--------------

When they arrived at the apartment building, the rain had almost stopped. Technically, they was no need of an umbrella anymore, but Sportacus didn't move one centimetre away from Robbie. His shoulder, or more likely his arm since he was so tall, felt nice and warm against his own. Saying that he didn't enjoy that feeling, would have been a lie.

Stephanie and Robbie already discussed all the things they wanted to do while patiently waiting for Sportacus to open the front door. It was so heartwarming how well they got along. Back at the school, Sportacus really had to hold back his tears when he saw his daughter running into Robbie's arms. She had been so happy to see him.

They all stepped up the stairs together and eventually entered the apartment. Sportacus watched Robbie taking a look around from the door before slipping off his shoes.

"May I?" He smiled at Robbie and waited for him to hand over his jacket. Stephanie had already disappeared into the living room. He watched Robbie taking off his jacket, revealing another purple shirt underneath. He looked so good in it. Sportacus felt his knees getting weaker and weaker the longer he stared at him. Wait. He stared?

"Sportacus?" Robbie tilted his head and gave him a confused look.

"Hmm, what? Oh, sorry, I was just thinking about... something.", Sportacus stammered and finally took Robbie's jacket from his hands. He felt his cheeks reddening and quickly looked away.

"I was just saying: thank you." Robbie smiled softly before turning around to follow Stephanie's calls from the living room. Sportacus wanted to hit himself. He really had to control himself today if he didn't want this to end weird.

When he joined the others in the living room, Stephanie had already gotten her pencil case out of her backpack and spread its contents all over the dining table, ready for Robbie to finally sign her cast. Robbie sat down on a chair next to her while Sportacus walked up behind them.

"What's your favourite colour, Robbie?" Stephanie asked and rearranged all of her markers in the correct order of the rainbow.

"It's purple." Robbie answered as he glanced down at his shirt. Sportacus grinned. He should've known.

"I like purple, too. But I prefer pink!", Stephanie explained while handing the purple marker over to Robbie. "And my dad's favourite colour is blue."

Robbie turned around in his chair and smiled up at Sportacus. "I could've guessed that.", he stated before turning back to Stephanie. Sportacus felt his knees weaken again and grabbed Robbie's chair for support, careful not to touch his back by accident.

"Where exactly do you want me to sign?", Robbie asked while he removed the cap from the marker.

"Right here! I left some extra space for you." Stephanie smiled sweetly and pointed at the free space that was meant for Robbie. Some of her friends had already signed the cast. Sportacus extended his head to read over the names.

Trixie had signed with a red marker, Pixel with an orange one. Stingy's signature was yellow and Ziggy, whose signature was also the biggest, had written his name in green.

Robbie quietly spelt the letters of his name as he carefully signed the cast. Sportacus could tell that he concentrated on making it look nice, as he slightly stuck out his tongue. He might've died from cuteness right there in his living room if he hadn't forced himself to look away.

When Robbie was done, he looked over his work and gave it a content nod. "Is this fine?"

Stephanie nodded and happily beamed at her cast. "It's perfect! Your handwriting is so pretty!" 

"Thanks." Robbie gave her a flattered smile. Sportacus smiled as well. Technically speaking, he hadn't stopped smiling since they had entered the apartment. But his daughter was right.

"I think so, too." Sportacus added and smiled down at Robbie, who slightly turned around in his chair again. He was blushing and his big grey eyes were sparkling. But before Robbie was able to say "thank you" once more, Stephanie raised her voice again.

"Dad, you have to sign it, too!"

Robbie grabbed the blue marker and handed it to Sportacus with a small grin on his lips. Sportacus grinned back before bending down between Robbie and his daughter to reach the cast. He signed below Robbie's name.

-

They spent the rest of the afternoon playing all kinds of games. Card games like Uno as well as games that required a little more physical skills. Like Twister. The physical skills weren't a problem for Sportacus. But the fact that he found himself tangled up between Robbie's limbs on the large plastic mat, nearly made him lose his mind.

They were so close that Sportacus was able to feel the heat of Robbie's body on his own. Plus, he was sticking out his tongue again as he concentrated not to fall. 

"Dad, left hand yellow." Stephanie instructed. She kneeled down next to the mat and watched the others play. Because of her arm, she couldn't play it herself but still, she seemed to have great fun as she laughed loudly whenever someone struggled to follow her instructions.

Sportacus moved his left hand to one of the yellow dots. His body hovered over Robbie's now. Luckily, his back was facing down. "Okay, got it!", he informed and waited for Stephanie to spin the spinner again.

"Okay. Now, Robbie, right foot blue." She chuckled as Robbie had to stretch and move his leg past Sportacus's right foot. He was almost there when he accidentally brushed Sportacus's leg with his own and caused him to fall down on him.

It took Sportacus a few seconds to realise that he was now sitting between Robbie's legs. His upper body no longer hovered over him but laid half on top of the other man. He slowly raised his head and found Robbie looking him straight in the eyes. Sportacus felt his cheeks blushing.

Stephanie had started to laugh out loud as soon as they hit the ground. Robbie's face was cracking up by the sound and slowly after, he laughed, too. Sportacus, who hadn't moved away a centimetre in shock, looked at both of their faces before he couldn't hold himself back anymore.

All three of them we're on the floor, laughing, Sportacus still tangled up in Robbie's legs, but it didn't seem to bother him. The laughs didn't stop for a whole minute. Still chuckling, Sportacus eventually helped Robbie up on his feet. His hand were big and soft.

-

The afternoon was far from over. They continued to play two or three more rounds of Twister, before switching back to card and board games on the table. It had gotten pretty late without them noticing, which is why Sportacus had invited Robbie to stay over for dinner, which he kindly accepted.

After dinner, they played one more game of Uno before they had to say goodbye to Robbie. Stephanie hugged him once more and made him promise that he would visit them again. Sportacus was already looking forward to that.

The butterflies in his stomach went wild when he and Robbie were standing by the apartment door alone. He handed him his jacket and watched him put it on. His movements were so elegant.

"That was a very nice afternoon." Robbie’s deep voice eventually stopped him from staring. He smiled softly.

"Yes, it was nice having you over." Sportacus smiled back and opened the door for Robbie. His brain was racing to find an adequate way to say goodbye. Maybe they should hug, too? Or just shake hands? Sportacus felt like pressing a soft kiss on his cheek but he didn't dare. No, absolutely not! He couldn't break now.

"Thank you again for dinner. It was delicious. I guess I have to return that favour at some time." Robbie stepped out in the hallway but turned around again to smile at Sportacus. His cheeks were glowing in the dim lights of the corridor.

"You may. I'm sure you're a great cook.", Sportacus chuckled as he watched Robbie brushing his hair back.

"I wouldn't be too sure about that.", he said and grinned one last time before waving goodbye and leaving.

Sportacus sighed happily and closed the door. He joined his daughter who had her face pressed against the big living room window to wave at Robbie when he passed by on the sidewalk. It was already dark outside. He gently placed a hand on her shoulder and raised the other to wave as well.

He couldn't stop himself from smiling for the rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okey guys. I'm planning to add like two or maybe three more chapters to this fic. But that won't be the end of it! I was thinking of maybe turning this into a series and adding more stories about the fam whenever I feel like it. (I have sooo many ideas!)
> 
> So, stay tuned! I hope you liked the chapter! c:


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie takes the next step.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So many first times in this chapter. Also, they gaze into each other's eyes a lot.

Throughout the next week, Sportacus and Robbie texted each other almost every day. If they didn't, it was because they had met up in the park in the morning. They had become closer and got to know so many new things about each other.

There had been slight hand touches, even a hug which almost caused Robbie's heart to explode. Sportacus had also sent him a heart emoji once, although Robbie always assumed that it was just a typo.

Robbie had finally accepted that he was...well...that he was slowly falling for Sportacus. And he found more reasons for it every single day. He was getting more and more comfortable with his emotions and desperately hoped that Sportacus felt the same.

In short, he was ready to take the next step.

-

For the weekend, Robbie had invited Stephanie and her dad over for dinner. As always, the little girl had said hello with a tight hug around Robbie's hips. He had finally felt comfortable enough to hug her back, more or less. Because of his height, he wasn't able to reach all the way down without kneeling on the floor. Which is why he just did it like Sportacus: he carefully caressed the top of her head.

Immediately after, Stephanie had left the adults alone to discover Robbie's house. They were about to hug as well when they heard Stephanie's excited calls from the living room.

"Oh my god, Robbie! You never told me that you have an aquarium!"

Sportacus and Robbie had grinned at each other and decided to follow her quickly before she would break anything.

The next thing that Stephanie had discovered was Robbie's garden and the football laying abandoned in the green grass. Robbie had claimed that he found it in a lost corner of his garage but in reality, he had bought it for Stephanie from the store because he remembered how much she loved football. It even had some pink stripes on it.

Sportacus and his daughter had happily kicked the ball around for a few minutes while Robbie finished the dinner and set it up on the outside table. It had been a warm spring night and they all were fine with eating outside in the garden.

By the time they had finished eating dinner, the sky had darkened and the first stars were becoming visible behind some clouds. Stephanie had been the first one to get up and Sportacus and Robbie had contently watched her kicking the football around on her own. Their knees had slightly brushed against each other as they sat close together. But it hadn't bothered either of them. In fact, they both had enjoyed the light touches.

When it got too cold, they all moved inside again. Robbie had told Stephanie some interesting facts about his fish while Sportacus watched them from the sofa. Eventually, the others had joined him there. Sportacus and Robbie had continued to talk about this and that while Stephanie was cuddled up in her father's arms. She had tried to listen to the adult’s conversation but she was too tired and eventually fell asleep.

Robbie had been the first one to notice. He had stopped talking mid-sentence and looked at her fondly. She had looked so peaceful in her father's arms. Eventually, Sportacus had noticed, too and since it had already gotten quite late, he decided that it was time for him and Stephanie to head home.

Sportacus had carried his daughter to the car while Robbie opened all of the doors for him that were in the way. When he had safely seated Stephanie on the backseat without waking her, Sportacus stepped back on the sidewalk and looked at Robbie.

The stars were shining down on them, Robbie could see them mirroring in Sportacus's blue eyes which made them look like two little night skies. While staring deeper and deeper into the blue, he suddenly felt as if he had forgotten about something important.

Ah yes. He wanted to take the next step. But how?

"Sportacus?"

"Yes, Robbie?" His response came fast as if he had waited for Robbie to raise his voice.

"I have to ask you something." They continued to gaze into each other's eyes, getting lost in them but not feeling lost.

"Go ahead." Sportacus smiled at him softly.

"I was wondering if you would...maybe...at some point...want to have dinner with me alone. I mean...just the two of us."

Robbie's heart almost burst out of his chest from beating so fast. He really wanted to look down on his feet as he felt his cheeks blushing. But he needed to ask this while looking Sportacus in the eyes. And there were no regrets. The other man's eyes sparkled magically.

"You mean like a date?" Sportacus didn't look away either. His smile grew wider and wider.

"Yes...like a date." Robbie almost whispered the last few words but the street was quiet, so Sportacus heard him perfectly.

"I'll invite you.", Robbie added and reduced the distance between them by hesitantly taking a step forward. Sportacus smiled even wider and copied his movements. They were so close that they could barely fit a football in between them.

"I would love to go on a date with you, Robbie." 

"Really?" Robbie's eyes widened with surprise. Although he had wished for Sportacus's answer to be like this, didn't mean that he had expected it. Sportacus chuckled.

"Yes, of course! I really like you, Robbie." His voice sounded so soft. Robbie almost melted just by the sound of it.

"I really like you, too, Sportacus." 

What Robbie did next required every little bit of courage that he had. He smiled softly and held one of Sportacus's hands with his own. The other one slid into Sportacus's hair and pushed a blond curl out of his face. Then, Robbie bent down and placed a kiss on Sportacus's glowing cheek. He could feel him softly leaning into the touch. Robbie's thumb gently caressed the back of Sportacus's hand as he straightened his back again and they got lost in each other's eyes once more.

The feeling in Robbie's chest was overwhelming. Never in his life, he had been this happy and full of joy. He had just asked Sportacus out on a date and he had actually said yes!

He wanted to kiss him again, a real kiss on his actual lips this time, but he felt like saving that for a better occasion.

\---------------

It was another week later when the better occasion finally came. Robbie had made a reservation for Friday evening in his favourite restaurant in town. At around 7 pm he was on his way to pick up Sportacus. 

He checked his outfit one last time in the reflection of the front door of the apartment building. Robbie hadn't slept all night, he had spent hours in front of the mirror to make himself look somewhat presentable. He had dressed up nicely and combed his hair back. Finally, he took a deep breath and rang the doorbell.

"I'm coming!", he heard Sportacus say through the intercom system. Robbie smiled, although he couldn't see him. He was so excited for tonight. It would be their first time alone in two weeks.

Normally, Stephanie had always been there, too. Which was fine for Robbie; Stephanie was sweet and he really liked her. But getting to spend some time alone with her dad felt so special. Sportacus had informed Robbie that Stephanie would go home with her friend Trixie after school to have a sleepover. And their date was set.

A few moments later, the front door clicked open and Sportacus walked outside with a bright smile on his face.

"You look beautiful." Robbie almost whispered when he looked at his date. His curls seemed to be even more golden and curly today.

"You too." Sportacus smiled as he wrapped an arm around Robbie, got up on his toes to reach Robbie's cheek and kissed it softly. Robbie closed his eyes and enjoyed every single one of his touches.

"So, where are we going?", Sportacus asked when he was back on his feet again.

"I booked a table at my favourite Italian restaurant. Their tiramisu is the best in town.", Robbie informed and turned towards the direction they had to go.

"Let's go, then." Sportacus chuckled and started walking next to him. They walked so close together, that their shoulders brushed at every step.

After a 5 minutes walk through the illuminated city centre, they arrived at the restaurant and sat down at their table for two. A waiter took their orders and lit up a small candle. It was very romantic.

The waiter eventually walked away and left Robbie and Sportacus alone. For a few moments, they just smiled and gazed into each other's eyes. Sportacus was the first one to speak up.

"Thank you for inviting me here. This is the first real date I've been to in years."

"Really?" Robbie couldn't really believe that a man like Sportacus wouldn't be invited on a date every weekend. He was just so handsome and perfect.

"It's not easy to meet new people when you're a single dad with a little daughter to raise and care for. I would've never positioned someone over her."

Robbie smiled. "I understand." Stephanie was so lucky to have Sportacus as her dad. He really cared a lot and Robbie swore to himself that he would never ever again think of him as irresponsible.

"Well...this might be the first actual date I've ever been to." Robbie mumbled and looked at his hands on the table. It was kind of embarrassing for him to admit but it was the truth.

"What?", he heard Sportacus say. "You've never been on a date before?"

Robbie nodded, still looking at his hands. He didn't dare to look up, although Sportacus didn't sound like he was judging him for it at all.

"Why is that? Have you never liked someone before? 

Robbie smiled lightly as he thought about all the boys he had fallen in love with in his youth. "I have liked many people. But it just wasn't mutual."

"Well, be assured that it's mutual with me." Sportacus said smiling and reached out over the table to hold Robbie's hands. "I really like you, Robbie."

Robbie finally looked up again and got lost in Sportacus's eyes. "Thank you."

"Don't thank me!", Sportacus protested immediately. "Thank you for being so nice, caring, good-looking and...sweet!"

"Oh, stop it." Robbie felt his cheeks blushing again. But Sportacus went on.

"No, really. You've been of great help with Stephanie in the last weeks and you care so much for her. You made us feel welcome in town." Sportacus stopped for a while and smiled at Robbie, still not letting go of his hands. "And Stephanie really likes you, too, I can tell."

Robbie smiled at his words. Actually, that was one of his biggest fears. Stephanie not accepting him being in love with her dad. This was why it had taken him so much time to get comfortable enough around her to hug her for example.

Sportacus's words reassured him a lot. He didn't answer and just sighed happily while still gazing into his eyes. This man was so perfect.

They changed subjects slowly after and talked about some more casual topics like work or hobbies. After they had enjoyed their meals, they shared a piece of tiramisu for dessert. Robbie paid for the food before joining Sportacus who had waited for him outside. He awaited Robbie under a street lamp on the sidewalk. The dim light made him look like an angel.

Robbie smiled as he closed the restaurant door behind him and slowly walked up next to his date. Sportacus smiled back up at him and gazed deep into his eyes.

"That was a nice date. Thank you."

Robbie didn't answer but stepped nearer to entwine their fingers. Sportacus moved nearer as well and soon they were so close that their upper bodies leaned against each other. They lovingly gazed into each other's eyes, completely forgetting everything around them. Robbie could feel Sportacus's breath on his neck. He couldn't hold it back any longer.

Robbie bent down, closed his eyes and carefully brushed Sportacus's lips with his own. His knees were weak and his heart was beating fast. It felt amazing. Sportacus tiptoed to deepen the kiss and happily smiled against Robbie's soft lips. Robbie was tempted to muffle that special three words phrase into the kiss, but he didn't. 

Their first kiss; Robbie would never forget it. That moment could have lasted for hours. But eventually, they pulled away after a few seconds. Robbie looked down at Sportacus, his cheeks were shining red and his smile was bright and genuine. 

"You have no idea for how long I've wanted to do that." Sportacus grinned and leaned against Robbie's neck.

Robbie chuckled before lifting up Sportacus's chin with his index finger and kissing him again. It felt so good. Sportacus grinned at him when he pulled away.

"Do you want to go for a walk in the park?", Robbie asked quietly.

Sportacus nodded and softly brushed his hand against Robbie’s, signalling him to hold it. Robbie understood and carefully entwined their fingers again as they started walking next to each other.

To the place where everything had started.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, that was their first official date. I hope you liked it.
> 
> Theres one more chapter left for this fic. But as I already mentioned, I will continue to write about them in a series ^^


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Robbie sleeps for 8 hours.

Sportacus was exhausted. He hated working on weekends, especially today since he hadn’t gotten his normal amount of sleep. But there was a good reason for it. He has had the most amazing date of his life the night before. Robbie had invited him for dinner, he had looked so handsome, they finally had their first kiss and it was just magical. Their walk through the park had almost lasted 2 hours. Sportacus returned home after midnight and instantly fell asleep when his body had touched the bed. In his dreams, he replayed all the wonderful moments, all the sweet kisses and touches and all the lovely signs of affection that he had to hold back for so long. He really was head over heels for Robbie.

It was Saturday. The day after. Sportacus was sitting on the passenger seat of Robbie's car and watched him drive. It was already quite late in the afternoon, Robbie had picked him up from work. Sportacus's mood had brightened up immediately when he had greeted him with a kiss. He had missed him so much. Now, they were on their way to pick up Stephanie from Trixie's house, where she had spent the night. Afterwards, they would head home to have dinner at the apartment. With Robbie, of course!

Speaking of Robbie, throughout his entire little daydream, Sportacus had stared at him. Robbie noticed his regards from the corner of his eye and removed one of his hands from the steering wheel to reach out and hold Sportacus's hand instead. He smiled at the touch. Luckily, Robbie's car was an automatic. He didn't have to move his hand back for the rest of the drive.

When all three of them we're in the car, after they picked up Stephanie, there were no more touches. Stephanie didn't know about them, yet, and although Sportacus knew almost everything about his daughter, he just couldn't imagine how she would react to these kinds of news. He somehow felt that it wouldn't be a bad reaction but still...he just wasn't sure. And Robbie wasn't either. Both of them had decided that it would be better to wait sometime until they would tell her.

Throughout the entire car ride back to the apartment, they had listened to Stephanie's stories about the sleepover. And even later, when they all were preparing dinner in the small kitchen, she still hadn't finished telling them everything about it. Sportacus and Robbie laughed a lot at her stories and the new jokes she had learned from Trixie.

They had fun doing the cooking together. Sportacus had allowed Stephanie to cut the onions if she was very careful with the knife and Robbie had come with a tissue to wipe her teary eyes after. Sportacus was touched deeply by that action. He wouldn't mind seeing someone caring for his daughter like that every day.

It was only when they had sent Stephanie off to the living room to set up the table that they were alone again. Sportacus stepped nearer and wrapped his arms around Robbie who was leaning against the counter to watch over the stove. He got up on his toes and planted a kiss on his cheek. Robbie turned his head to look at him before checking the door to see if Stephanie was near. She wasn't. Robbie turned back to Sportacus, grinned and kissed him on the lips. Sportacus smiled into the kiss. Keeping this a secret in front of Stephanie would definitely be hard.

After dinner, they had played a few board and card games on the table (no Twister this time). Sportacus noticed that his daughter was getting more and more tired with every round and eventually decided that it would be best to tuck her into bed. Stephanie agreed and nodded before slowly making her way to the bathroom. She probably didn't get that much sleep either. Sportacus remembered from his own childhood that at sleepovers you would normally do anything except for sleeping.

While Robbie was in the bathroom with Stephanie to chaperone her as she was brushing her teeth, Sportacus prepared her room for the night, meaning he pulled the curtains close, correctly rearranged all of her stuffed animals on the bed and flipped back the sheets. When Stephanie and Robbie came from the bathroom he tucked her into bed and kissed her goodnight. Robbie just gently brushed through her hair and wished her a good night but still, it moved Sportacus somewhere deep in his heart. Finally, they switched off the lights and closed the door behind them.

"And now? You don't want to leave already, do you?", Sportacus asked as soon as he was sure that Stephanie wouldn't hear them and hugged Robbie tight. He had missed his touches and his smell the entire day. And he had to make up for the deficiency right now. Sportacus sighed happily as soon as he buried his face in Robbie's neck.

"How could I? You clearly don't want me to leave." Robbie chuckled and Sportacus felt him hugging him back.

"No.", was his simple answer. He didn't want him to leave. Ever. He was exhausted and he wanted to cuddle. That was what he wanted.

"Do you want to stay for a film?", Sportacus asked and looked up at Robbie without removing his hands from behind his back.

"Yes." Robbie smiled and pecked Sportacus's lips before taking his hand and following him to the sofa. The sofa in the apartment had a big and a small side. The bigger side was more like a sofa bed and could've easily fit more than two people on it.

Robbie sat down by the corner of the bigger side. He was still able to stretch out his legs although they were so long. Sportacus followed shortly after when he had started the film. They didn't choose a particular one. It wasn't of big importance anyways since they paid slightly more attention to themselves. Sportacus cuddled into Robbie who put an arm around him as soon as he sat down next to him.

"Tired?", Robbie asked and kissed Sportacus's forehead. Although he had already experienced this sensational feeling for a few times in the last 24 hours, it still sent shivers down his spine and caused the butterflies in his stomach to wake up again.

"Yes." Sportacus nodded. He was more than happy that he finally got a day off tomorrow and that he was able to spend at least the evening of today with Robbie.

"I missed you today.", he added and looked up at Robbie, waiting for him to kiss him properly. Robbie understood and brushed their lips together.

"I missed you, too.", he muffled between the kisses and played with Sportacus's hair with the hand that was around his shoulders. All of his touches felt so good and Sportacus's felt more relaxed instantly. He smiled into all of Robbie's kisses. They continued their little make-out session for several minutes before pulling away happily and cuddling some more.

It was comfy and warm on the sofa, in Robbie's arms and soon, Sportacus drifted away into a light sleep. He felt safe and relaxed and he probably could've slept like this forever.

But for some reason, he woke up again when the credits of the film were running over the screen. Robbie had fallen asleep as well. He looked so peaceful and beautiful, some strands of his dark hair were falling into his face. Robbie hadn't planned to stay over for the night, but certainly, Sportacus wouldn't say no to the idea. Which is why he didn't wake him up but looked at him smiling. How lucky Sportacus was to have him. He cuddled into Robbie some more and pushed the loose strands of hair back, careful not to wake him, before closing his eyes again.

"Dad?", Stephanie repeated her question.

"Yes, sweetheart?", Sportacus muffled and slightly turned his head to look at his daughter, although his eyes were only half-opened.

Wait. Stephanie was there?! She wasn't supposed to see him and Robbie cuddled up like this! As soon as Sportacus had realised, he shifted around quickly only to find out that it was already too late.

Stephanie stood in the doorway, she was wearing her pink nightgown and carried one of her teddy bears in her hands. She looked at her father with big eyes but she didn't look bothered by it at all? What? Sportacus was confused. He sat up on the sofa next to Robbie, who was still sleeping peacefully and brushed his hair out of his face to get a better look at Stephanie.

"What is it, sweetheart?", he asked again slowly, trying hard to hide his insecurity.

Stephanie stepped nearer and wiped a tear out of her face.

"I had a nightmare.", she explained. "Trixie told me a ghost story yesterday. And now I can't sleep anymore because of it."

Sportacus sighed in relief and opened his arms to hug his daughter tight. Stephanie ran into his arms and put her own little arms around his neck. It was quiet for a second. Sportacus could hear Robbie's frequent breaths from behind him.

"It's okay, sweetheart. It was just a nightmare.", Sportacus whispered and rubbed her back to calm her down. It always worked. "We're here to protect from any ghost in this world.", he added and kissed her cheek.

"Can I stay here with you and Robbie tonight?", Stephanie muffled into her father's chest without looking up. It took Sportacus a few moments to reply. He was so confused that Stephanie didn't even mention with only one word that she just saw him and Robbie cuddling on the couch!

"O-of course you can." Sportacus stuttered slightly as he let her go from his arms. Stephanie seemed to be in a better mood immediately and jumped between Sportacus and Robbie where she laid down. She gently placed her head on Robbie's extended arm which had originally been Sportacus's spot.

But he just went with it and smiled. Stephanie didn't seem to be appalled by her father cuddling with another man at all. It was more of the opposite. She had even joined them during the cuddles. It made her feel more relaxed and less scared of the nightmare.

Sportacus shifted nearer and put an arm around his daughter from behind her back, sandwiching her between Robbie's body and his own. It was highly reassuring to see them both cuddled up with each other. And Sportacus was happy to join them. The two most important people in his life, who he both loved from the bottom of his heart.

\----

It was another 45 minutes later when Robbie woke up again from his arm slowly becoming numb. With his eyes still shut, he remembered how Sportacus and he had cuddled on the sofa while watching a film. He probably fell asleep about 30 minutes in. Robbie couldn't really remember anything of the plot. He couldn't really concentrate on anything except for Sportacus.

Speaking of him, he should probably open his eyes and see if Sportacus was awake, too. He probably already waited for him to get up and leave.

Robbie slowly opened his eyes. The room was darker than he had remembered it. He turned his head to the side to find out the reason for his arm being numb. He almost gasped out loud in shock when he saw why. His heart couldn't decide whether it should beat possibly record-breaking fast or stop beating at all.

There they were. Stephanie and her dad, both kind of lying down on his arm, sleeping peacefully, causing it to feel numb. Robbie looked at the little girl whose nose was buried in his shirt and then over to Sportacus who had put an arm around her back to hug her from behind. His legs were tangled up in his own.

Robbie's heart was full. He suddenly felt himself tearing up at the view. He had no idea how they ended up in this situation but somehow he assumed that everyone else on the sofa was as happy and content as he was himself.

Sportacus, the jogger from the park, who he fell in love with over the past two months, the man he would've probably never met if he hadn't repaired his bike out of boredom the other morning. And his little daughter, Stephanie, who he had brought home after her incident on the playground, the sweetest girl he had ever interacted with, who Robbie had always feared wouldn't like him for being so close to her dad. He hadn't noticed how close they've become in the last weeks. 

Robbie couldn't believe his luck that these two people were both cuddled up in his arms, almost like a little family...his little family...was he allowed to say that? Robbie didn't know.

But he was certain that he wouldn't move his arm only a centimetre although it was already completely numb. Sportacus and Stephanie were sleeping so peacefully, Robbie didn't dare to wake them up. Instead, he shifted around to lay on his side carefully, without waking them up, and lifted his other arm up in the air.

He hesitated for a moment but eventually brushed his fingers through Sportacus's hair before putting the arm around Stephanie as well. Robbie felt his heart beating fast in his chest, he felt overwhelmed with happiness and love.

He couldn't move his eyes away from them but eventually, his eyelids felt heavier again and he drifted off into a deep sleep.

In that night, Robbie slept for almost 8 hours. He was wrong. Other people could really help to get a better sleep. It just had to be the right ones.


End file.
